Kazutoshi Yamada

Kazutoshi Yamada (山田 和利)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 178 lb.

• High School Toho High School

• Born June 3, 1965 in Nagoya, Aichi Japan
• Died August 16, 2025

BR register page

Biographical Information

Kazutoshi Yamada played in Nippon Pro Baseball for 8 years.

Yamada was drafted by the Chunichi Dragons in the 4th round of the 1983 NPB draft, but he spent his first four seasons primarily in the NPB Farm Leagues; he only got 22 at-bats combined for the top team. Yamada played 82 games with a .268/.313/.392 batting line as a backup shortstop behind Kazuyoshi Tatsunami in 1988, but he suffered from injuries so he missed the entire 1989 season. He only got 40 at-bats in 1990, and the Dragons traded him with Shigeki Oto to the Hiroshima Carp for Kiyoyuki Nagashima. Yamada was 2-for-10 in 1991, and he recorded a .282/.387/.410 batting line in 1992. Yamada was placed in the minors for the entire 1993 season, and he had a .200/.296/.229 batting line in 1994. He became Hiroshima's starting first baseman after Luis Medina was injured in 1995, and he hit .270/.336/.444 with 12 homers. The Carp then traded him with Oto back to the Dragons for Takanobu Wakabayashi, but he suffered from injuries and he announced his retirement in 1996. Yamada later coached the minors team of the Dragons in 1997 and from 2002 to 2004, and he was their Fielding coach in 1998 and batting coach for the top team from 1999 to 2001. Yamada was also the minor league fielding coach for the Carp in 2011 and from 2015 to 2021.

Overall, Yamada hit .262/.341/.388 with 227 hits and 22 homers in 8 seasons in NPB.

Sources

• Wiki Japan